Metering and dispensing container



Oct. 5, 1965 w. D WASSELL 3,209,961

METERING AND DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed May 15 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N VEN TOR. MA 44150 a 1/455ELL m I W 472-4451;;

Oct. 5, 1965 w. D. WASSELL 3,209,961

METERING AND DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed May 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Ofiflce 3,299,961 METERING AND DISPENSING CONTAINER Willard D. Wassell, 1425 Bedford t., Stamford, Conn. Filed May 15, 19641, Ser. No. 367,696 Claims. (CL 222443) The present invention relates to containers for dry particulate materials and more particularly to a container for dispensing measured quantities of the material therefrom. This application for patent is a continuation in part of my prior application Serial No. 77,894, filed December 23, 1960, and relates back to said prior application for all common subject matter.

There are many instances where it is desirable to dispense measured quantities of a particulate material from a container such as, for example, soap powder or flakes used in washing machines. It is the usual practice to pour the soap powder or flakes from the container into a measuring vessel and then from the vesssel into the machine. Many times, however, the soap powder is allowed to overflow the measuring vessel, or a measuring vessel is not available and an estimated amount of soap powder is poured from the container. In either case, such dispensing of soap powder or flakes is necessarily wasteful. The same problem is presented with other dry fluid materials, such as surgar, cereals and the like which are poured from a container.

Dispensing containers have heretofore been proposed for delivering measured quantities of material, but all of these prior arrangements are either impractical or too expensive to manufacture. In one proposed construction, two separate slides are provided, which project through adjacent sides of the box so that the end of one slide abuts the side of the other slide to segregate material between the slides. Such a construction has two pairs of guides for each slide, both slides project through the sides of the box and there is no way of controlling the movement of the slides. In other proposed constructions, a number of special parts must be used which are not adapted for fabrication in conventional machines.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved construction in a dispensing container to facilitate the dispensing of measured quantities of a dry fluid material.

Another object is to provide a container of the type indicated which may be used to dispense measured quantities of material until the container is empty by merely tilting the container to different positions and operating a slide.

Another object is to provide an improved container of the type indicated which adapts it to be manufactured from molded thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic parts.

Still another object is to provide a dispensing container of the type indicated which is of simple and compact construction, economical to manufacture and one which is reliable in operation to dispense a measured quantity of material.

These and other objects will become more apparent from the following description and drawings in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing container incorporating the novel features of the present invention and showing the pocket formed in one corner thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional plan view showing the two positions of the slide for closing and opening the bottom of the pocket;

32%,961 Patented Get. 5, 1965 FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 to show the slide extending through aligned slots in a side wall of the container and an intermediate wall therein;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 and showing the slide closing the bottom of the pocket and the shoulders on the side walls of the container underlying the edges of the slide to seal the joints therebetween;

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of the cover showing the depending flanges which cooperate with the top edges of the container walls including the intermediate wall to seal the joints therebetween;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the container similar to FIGURE 1 and showing the cover removed to adapt the container to be filled with a particulate material;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 showing the hinged closure moved to its closed position, the slide withdrawn and the container tipped upside down to permit a measured quantity of the material to flow into the pocket;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 and showing the slide moved to close the bottom of the pocket to segregate a measured quantity of the material and the container tipped back to its original upright position; and

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 showing the other closure overlying the pocket moved to its open position and the container tipped to dispense the measured quantity of the material therefrom.

Referring now to the drawings, the present invention is shown incorporated in a container 10 for a particulate material such as granules or flakes having opposed pairs of side walls 11, 12 and 13, 14, a top wall 15 and a bottom wall 16. Container 10 may constitute an original shipping container in which the particulate material is sold, or it may be used only as a dispensing container into which the particulate material is poured from a shipping container.

In accordance with the present invention an improved construction is provided for forming a pocket 18 in one corner of the container 10 in which a measured quantity of material may be segregated therein and dispensed therefrom. Pocket 18 is formed between opposed side walls 11 and 12, one wall 13 of the other pair of opposed side walls, top wall 15, an intermediate wall 19 parallel to the wall 13 and a slide 20 mounted to slide in and entirely supported by the spaced walls 13 and 19. Pocket 18 is designed to hold a measured quantity of material to be dispensed and the pocket may be opened and closed at one end by a hinged closure 21 in the top wall 15 and at the other end by the slide 20. In the preferred embodiment of the container 10 as illustrated and described herein the container is made of a transparent or translucent material through which the material in the pocket may be observed and one or more walls of the container surrounding the pocket are marked with a scale 22 to indicate fractions of the total volume in the pocket in the units being measured as, for example, cups and fractions of a cup of material.

In the illustrated embodiment, the container 10 comprises separate parts molded of a thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic material and assembled to form a complete unit. These parts comprise an open ended box 23 forming the opposed sides 11, 12, 13, 14 and bottom 15, a removable cover formed by the top wall 15 and the intermediate wall 19 and slide 20. These parts may be composed of any moldable plastic material and preferably the box 23 is a molded medium impact polystyrene and the cover 15, intermediate wall 19 and slide 20 are molded from a plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene. To this end, the open ended box 23 tapers slightly from the bottom outwardly toward the top to adapt the box and core to be drawn from the die in which it is molded. In the illustrated embodiment the upper section of the box 23 is made slightly larger than the lower section to provide a peripheral shoulder 24 between the sections and the lower section is formed with ribs 25 on the exterior to provide a roughened gripping surface to facilitate the holding of the container in the hand. In addition, the side walls 13 and 14 are provided with outwardly projecting locking lugs 26 and 27 at the upper edges for locking the cover 15 in place thereon.

The intermediate wall 19 comprises a molded sheet of plastic extending between the side walls 11 and 12 and anchored thereto. For this purpose the intermediate wall has a width corresponding to the spacing between the side Walls 11 and 12 with longitudinally spaced lugs 28 projecting laterally from the edges into correspondingly spaced recesses 29 in the side walls. In the illustrated embodiment the recesses 29 are holes in the side walls 11 and 12 of the box and when the lugs and recesses are interlocked the inner end of the intermediate wall seats on the inwardly projecting shoulder 24a. The intermediate wall 19 has longitudinal ribs 30 and 31 at its opposite edges and transverse ribs 32 to strengthen the structure, see FIGURES 2 and 3. Each of the side walls 11 and 12 has inwardly projecting ribs 33, 34 and 35, 36, respectively, spaced a distance equal to the thickness of the ribs 30 and 31 at the side edges of the intermediate wall 19 to overlie the latter and seal the joints therebetween.

The side wall 13 and intermediate wall 19 have aligned slots 40 and 41 for mounting the slide 20 for sliding movement thereon. Slide 20 has a length greater than the distance between the walls 13 and 19 of the pocket 18 so that the slide is at all times supported at spaced points by the walls 13 and 19 below the slots 40 and 41. Slide 20 is composed of a thin sheet of the plastic material also molded in the shape illustrated. As shown in the drawings, the slide 20 has a right angular flange 42 at its outer end which overlies the wall 13 of the container to limit its inward movement and a detent lug 43 projecting laterally therefrom adjacent its inner end beyond the intermediate wall 19. Thus, the engagement of the flange 42 and detent lug 43 with the container wall 13 and intermediate wall 19, respectively, limits the movement of the slide in both directions and the flange 42 provides a handle at the exterior of the container for operating the slide.

The section 44 of the slide 20 adjacent the flange 42 is imperforate and the section 45 extending beyond the intermediate wall 19 has an opening 46 therein. As will be observed by reference to FIGURE 2 the slot 41 in the intermediate wall 19 is necessarily of less length than the width of the intermediate wall and the section 45 of the slide 20 has a Width corresponding to the width of the slot which is narrower than the section 44. Thus, when the slide 20 is moved inwardly to the position illustrated to FIGURE 2, the wider imperforate portion 44 completely closes the bottom of the pocket 18 and the narrower section 45 projects beyond the intermediate wall 19 into the container and provides an opening 46 through which particulate material may freely flow from the top to the bottom of the container 10 at the rear of the pocket 18. On the other hand, when the slide 20 is moved outwardly to the positions illustrated in dot and dash lines in FIGURES 2, 3, and in full lines in FIGURE 7, material may flow from the interior of the container 10 into the pocket 18 through the opening 46 in the slide.

The top wall or cover also is composed of a plastic material molded in its final shape. The cover 15 comprises a sheet of the material with a marginal peripheral flange 48 at its edge which overlies the side walls at the upper edge of the open ended box 23. The end walls of the flange 48 have recesses forming ledges 49 and 50 which interlock with the spaced lugs 26 and 27 projecting outwardly from the side walls 13 and 14 of the box to lock the cover in position thereon. In addition, the cover 15 has door openings 51 and 51a adjacent each end which are opened and closed by closures 21 and 21a, respectively. As will be seen by reference to FIGURE 5, the cover 15 in addition to the depending peripheral flange 48 has ribs 55 projecting inwardly in spaced relation to the peripheral flange a distance equal to the thickness of the walls of the open sided box 23 to receive the upper edges of the box therebetween. In addition, the cover 15 has spaced depending ribs 56, 57 and 56a, 57a which are adapted to fit over the upper edge of the intermediate wall 19 and seal the joint therebetween.

Peripheral flanges 60 and 60a also depend from the cover 15 around three sides of the door openings 51 and 51a and the closures 21 and 21a have depending peripheral flanges 62 and 62a which cooperate with the flanges around the door openings and top edges of the side walls 13 and 14 of the box 23 to seal the openings when closed by the closures to prevent leakage. The closures 21 and 21a are molded of the plastic material and each has a bearing boss 64 with short pins 65 and 66 projecting from its opposite ends which are seated in a recess in the cover 15 with the pins engaging the underside of the cover to mount the closures for rocking movement thereon. The bearing boss 64 and pins 65 and 66 are mounted on the cover 15 by flexing the plastic material of the cover. In addition, each closure has a finger tab 68 at the side opposite its pivot to adapt the closure to be manually opened and the finger tab fits in a recessed opening 69 in the cover 15. From the above it will be observed that the cover may be mounted on the open end of the box 23 in either direction and in either position one of the pairs of spaced ribs 56, 57 or 56a, 57a will overlie the upper end of the intermediate wall 19 to seal the pocket 18 from the remainder of the container, with one closure 21 overlying the container at the other side of the pocket. One form of the invention having now been described in detail the mode of the operation is next explained.

A complete container 10 is constructed by assmbling the parts which comprises sliding the intermediate wall 19 between the side walls 11 and 12 until its lower end seats against the shoulder 24a. At this time the spaced lugs 28 on the intermediate wall 19 snap into the holes 29 in the side walls 11 and 12 of the box to lock the intermediate wall therein. In order to slide the intermediate wall 19 into position, the side walls 11 and 12 of the box 23 are sprung apart sufficiently to permit the lugs 28 to pass the inner surface of the wall until they align with the holes 29 and the plastic material from which the open ended box is formed is sufliciently flexible to permit such movement. The slide 20 is then inserted through the aligned slots 40 and 41 in the walls 13 and 19 so that the flange 42 is positioned against the outside face of the wall 13 and the laterally projecting detent 43 is positioned at the rear of the intermediate wall 19. During such movement the plastic material of the parts yields to permit this initial movement of the parts past each other. Cover 15 is then placed over the open end of the box 23 and pressed downwardly until the inwardly directed ledges 49 and 50 on the peripheral flange 48 snaps by the locking lugs 26 and 27 on the side walls 13 and 14 to lock the cover in position thereon.

To fill the container 10 with the granular or particulate material the cover 15 is removed as illustrated in FIG- URE 6. Preferably the slide 20 is pulled out during a filling operation, but is not essential as the material may flow through the opening 46 when the slide is pushed in. The material is poured into the container from some other box such as the one in which the material is purchased. Cover 15 is then mounted on the open ended box 23 and the container turned upside down as illustrated in FIGURE 7 so that the material flows through the opening 46 into the pocket 18. When the desired amount of a material has entered the pocket 18 the slide 20 is moved to closed position While in the position illustrated in FIGURE 7 at which time the imperforate section 44 overlies the bottom of the pocket 18 to segregate a measured quantity of material therein. The container is then turned to an upright position as illustrated in FIGURE 8. If a quantity of the material less than the total capacity of the pocket 18 is desired, the slide 20 may be withdrawn until the opening 46 slightly opens the bottom of the pocket 18 at which time the material will flow slowly from the pocket until the desired amount has been measured as indicated by the marked scale 22 on the wall of the container overlying the pocket. After the correct amount of material has been segregated in the pocket 18 the slide 20 is moved back to the position illustrated in FIGURE 8 to completely close the bottom of the pocket. Closure 21 overlying the top of the pocket 18 is then opened and the container tilted from the position illustrated in FIGURE 8 to that in FIGURE 9 to dispense the measured quantity of particulate material from the container.

To prepare the container 10 to dispense another measured quantity of the particulate material, the closures 21 and 21a are both closed and the container turned to the upright position illustrated in FIGURE 6 to permit additional material to flow into the bottom of the container. The procedure as outlined above is then followed to segregate another measured quantity of the material in the pocket 18 and the pocket open to dispense th material.

It will now be observed that the present invention provides an improved construction in a container for dispensing measured quantities of dry fluid materials. It will also be observed that the present invention provides an improved container adapted to be manufactured from molded plastic materials which will dispense successive measured quantities of material until the container is empty by merely tilting the container and operating a slide. It will still further be observed that the present invention provides a dispensing container of the type indicated which is of simple and compact construction, economical to manufacture and one which is reliable in operation to dispense measured quantities of the material.

While a single embodiment of the invention is herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of elements Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, without limitation in this respect, the invention is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A container for dispensing a measured quantity of a particulate material comprising an open ended box of plastic material having opposed pairs of side walls, an end wall and open top molded in a one-piece integral structure, an intermediate wall extending between one pair of opposed side walls in spaced relation to one of the Walls of the other pair of opposed side walls, each of the side walls of the box between which the intermediate wall extends having a structure forming grooves with depressions therein, and said intermediate wall being of a width to slide into the open end of the box in the groove and having detents engaging the depressions in the groove to lock the intermediate Wall into the position between the op posite side walls, a cover for closing the open end of the box'and abutting the top of the intermediate wall to segregate the pocket, said intermediate wall and one of the walls of said other pair of walls having aligned slots therein, a slide extending through said aligned slots in the walls and having an imperforate sect-ion to close the bottom of the pocket in one position of the slide and a perforate portion for opening the bottom of the pocket when the slide is moved to another position, detent means projecting from the slide for engaging at least one of the walls through which it extends for limiting the movement of the slide in both directions, and a movable closure in the cover for opening the top of the pocket to dispense a measured quantity of particulate material therefrom.

2. A container for dispensing measured quantities of a particulate material in accordance with claim 1 in which the slot in the intermediate Wall is a width less than the spacing between the opposed walls, and said slide having a section of a width greater than the width of the slot to extend between the opposed side walls and a narrower section extending through the slot in the intermediate wall.

3. A container for dispensing a measured quantity of particulate material in accordance with claim 1 in which the cover has a peripheral flange overlying the outer periphery of the box and ribs projecting from the cover in spaced relation from the flange for engaging the inside edges of the wall of the box, and spaced ribs engaging the opposite sides of the intermediate wall adjacent the end thereof.

4. A container for dispensing a measured quantity of particulate material in accordance with claim 3 in which the cover has a movable closure adjacent each end and a plurality of pairs of spaced ribs for engaging opposite sides of the intermediate wall adjacent the top thereof whereby to adapt one of the closures to overlie the pocket and one pair of spaced ribs to engage the opposite sides of the intermediate wall when the cover is mounted on the open end of the box in either of its two reversed positions.

5. A container for dispensing a measured quantity of particulate material in accordance with claim 1 in which the movable closure in the cover is pivotally mounted on the cover, the closure has a depending peripheral flange and the cover has a depending peripheral flange cooperating with the flange on the closure to render the latter sift proof when closed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,495,723 5/24 Birnbaum 222-425 1,944,551 1/34 Forknall 222559 2,372,278 3/45 Jess 222-450 X 2,880,915 4/59 Kantor 222-456 3,057,524 10/62 Shanks 222-450 X LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER FOR DISPENSING A MEASURED QUANTITY OF A PARTICULATE MATERIAL COMPRISING AN OPEN ENDED BOX OF PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING OPPOSED PAIRS OF SIDE WALLS, AND END WALL AND OPEN TOP MOLDED IN A ONE-PIECE INTEGRAL STRUCTURE, AN INTERMEDIATE WALL EXTENDING BETWEEN ONE PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDE WALLS IN SPACED RELATION TO ONE OF THE WALLS OF THE OTHER PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDE WALLS, EACH OF THE SIDE WALLS OF THE BOX BETWEEN WHICH THE INTERMEDIATE WALL EXTENDS HAVING A STRUCTURE FORMING GROOVES WITH DEPRESSIONS THEREIN, AND SAID INTERMEDIATE WALL BEING OF A WIDTH TO SLIDE INTO THE OPEN END OF THE BOX IN THE GROOVE AND HAVING DETENTS ENGAGING THE DEPRESSIONS IN THE GROOVE TO LOCK THE INTERMEDIATE WALL INTO THE POSITION BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS, A COVER FOR CLOSING THE OPEN END OF THE BOX AND ABUTTING T HE TOP OF THE INTERMEDIATE WALL TO SEGREGATE THE POCKET, SAID INTERMEDIATE WALL AND ONE OF THE WALLS OF SAID OTHER PAIR OF WALLS HAVING ALIGNED SLOTS THEREIN, A SLIDE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ALIGNED SLOTS IN THE WALLS AND HAVING AN IMPERFORATE SECTION TO CLOSE THE BOTTOM OF THE POCKET IN ONE POSITION OF THE SLIDE AND A PERFORATE PORTION FOR OPENING THE BOTTOM OF THE POCKET WHEN THE SLIDE IS MOVED TO ANOTHER POSITION, DETENT MEANS PROJECTING FROM THE SLIDE FOR ENGAGING AT LEAST ONE OF THE WALLS THROUGH WHICH IT EXTENDS FOR LIMITING THE MOVEMENT OF THE SLIDE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, AND A MOVABLE CLOSURE IN THE COVER FOR OPENING THE TOP OF THE POCKET OF DISPENSE A MEASURED QUANTITY OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL THEREFROM. 